Deep Purple back in Quebec city

The concert was presented outdoor at the Agora. It rained in the afternoon previous to the show so I was really worried about the weather. But finally the sky cleared up (thanks God) for an evening to remember.

Dream Theater
The opening act was Dream Theater, they offered a good performance, although I'm not very familiar with their music. It was mostly appreciated by the younger part of the audience.

Emerson Lake and Palmer
I was surprised by ELP's show. To tell you the truth, I was there only to see Deep Purple and didn't have great expectations for ELP. I used to appreciate their music when I was in Cegep (college). Times are changing, in 1976 these guys where playing in Montreal's Olympic Stadium (capacity of about 50,000 people) and now they are playing for 3500 peoples. However in the smaller Agora I had the opportunity to witness (I was in the second row) Carl Palmer's amazing performance.

Deep Purple
Finally time to rock'n'roll with Deep Purple. It was practically a flawless performance! The guys were in a great mood (same attitude in the last concert in 1996 at Le Grand Theatre). In an interview in a local newspaper Roger Glover claimed that they are enjoying themselves because they do what they like most, let me tell you that it shows on stage! I was delighted with the set list, Bloodsucker, Strange kind of woman, Lazy, Speedking, Steve Morse's aggressive attack in Smoke on the water, Highway star...to name a few... Yes sir!!!! I specially enjoyed the "duo" with Steve and Mr. Lord. Steve Morse is a great guitar player, the solo performed using the volume knob was something else. Ian Gillan was in a great mood, "SUPERB!" was his motto that night. The communication with the crowd was excellent, yet he was a bit confused when he introduced Pictures of home, he had a hard time remembering the song they were about to play, so what! During the show a large cruising boat went by, the Agora is on the shore of the Saint-Laurent River, the gate to the Great Lakes. It was an awesome sight, it looked like the boat was about to sail in the auditorium. The people on the deck were able to see the band playing Woman from Tokyo, Smoke on the water would have been a great song for that moment!

At the end of the concert I was lucky to catch one of Ian Paice's drumsticks. Deep Purple belongs to the rock and roll hall of fame and that drumstick is now the masterpiece of my hall of fame! I'm very glad that the band played in Quebec City again this year and I hope that they'll be back next year!. Finally, I whish that the band release a new live album with Steve Morse, I think the fans are deserving it! Congratulations for this fabulous web site, The Highway Star is one of my favorite bookmarks!

DEEP PURPLE RULES!!

Pierre Fournier,
19 Aout 1998

[ reviews | the highway star ]